UK Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group (OHSAG) October 2015 Minutes The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has just published the minutes of the 16 October 2015 meeting of the Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group (OHSAG). This is the third and last of the year (compared to six in 2014), postponed from July 2015. The OHSAG was formed as a result of the ‘Civil […]
UK OHSAG Oct 2015 Minutes Read Post »
We look at some of the problems of error management and ask if we are still making the error management mistakes James Reason warned of in 1997 (spoiler: some organisations are). We also look at drift and how some have failed to grasp its more than poor compliance.
Back to the Future: Error Management Read Post »
Landing briefing missed. ANSV claim Vapp too high (CIAS disagree). No go around after first bounce. NLG & MLG collapse.
ANSV Highlight Procedures & HF After ATR72 Landing Accident Read Post »
New NHV Heliport Under Construction in Aberdeen At a time of low oil price it might be surprising to hear that a new heliport is being constructed at Aberdeen Airport in Scotland, but that is what is currently happening. Belgian operator NHV, the launch customer for the EC175 (now H175), has previously been reported to have been keen to establish
New NHV Heliport Under Construction in Aberdeen Read Post »
Regulation (EU) 376/2014: Reporting, Analysis and Follow-up of Occurrences in Civil Aviation On 15 November 2015, a new European Union wide aviation reporting regulation came into force. The European Commission has created a safety reporting portal. Previously Mandatory Occurrence Reporting (MOR) was effectively regulated by a Directive 2003/42/EC to each nation to create compatible national regulation. That directive is
BA Changes Briefings, Simulator Training and Chart Provider After B747 Accident According to a recently released UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA) FACTOR (Follow-up ACTion on Occurrence Report), British Airways (BA) have enhanced their simulator training and changed chart provider in response to a ground accident in South Africa. The Accident On 22 December 2013, BA G-BNLL sustained substantial
BA Changes Briefings, Simulator Training and Chart Provider After B747 Accident Read Post »
Misfuelling Accidents Misfuelling aircraft with kerosene based Jet A-1 rather than Aviation Gasoline (AVGAS) continues to be a source of accidents. PA31 15 Sept 2015 Manitoba The Canadian Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has recently released an update on the 15 September 2015 accident involving twin engined Keystone Air Service Piper PA31-350 Navajo C-FXLO at Thompson, Manitoba. Shortly after takeoff the aircraft experienced a
Misfuelling Accidents Read Post »
Fatal G-IV runway excursion: take off with gust lock engaged. Contributing: habitual noncompliance and inadequate certification.
Gulfstream G-IV Take Off Accident & Human Factors Read Post »
Crashworthiness and a Fiery Frisco US HEMS Accident (Airbus Helicopters AS350B3e, N390LG of Air Methods) Shortly after take-off from a hospital in Frisco, Colorado, on 2 July 2015, Airbus Helicopters AS350B3e helicopter, N390LG, operated by Air Methods as ‘Flight for Life’, crashed in a parking lot 120m away. This was a daytime, Visual Meteorological Condition (VMC), Part 135
Crashworthiness and a Fiery Frisco US HEMS Accident Read Post »
UK CAA Helideck Developments The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are considering changing how offshore helidecks are approved and assessing the fire-fighting provision on Normally Unattended Installations (NUIs). The former activity is subject to a public consultation and that latter is being examined by a Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group (OHSAG) working group. Helideck Qualified
UK CAA Helideck Developments Read Post »
Helicopter Ops and Safety – Gulf of Mexico 2014 The Helicopter Safety Advisory Conference (HSAC) has been publishing data on the Gulf of Mexico (‘GOM’) offshore helicopter fleet and its safety since 1995. Helicopter Operations: GOM Fleet Data They report that flying activity has remained “relatively constant” for the last several years, with just under 300k flying
Helicopter Ops and Safety – Gulf Of Mexico 2014 Read Post »
UAS View of Lomond Offshore Installation Stunning ‘drone’* footage of the BG Group Lomond installation in the Central North Sea has been uploaded to YouTube by Gary Hay. Alongside the platform, joined by a ‘bridge’, is the semi-submersible accommodation vessel Borgholm Dolphin, hence the helideck on Lomond is marked as closed due to the infringement of the
UAS View of Lomond Offshore Installation Read Post »
UK Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group (OHSAG) April 2015 Minutes The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has just published the minutes of the 28 April 2015 meeting of the Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group (OHSAG), the second of the year. The OHSAG was formed as a result of the ‘Civil Aviation Authority Safety Review of Offshore Public Transport Helicopter Operations in
UK OHSAG April 2015 Minutes Read Post »
UK AAIB Report on Two Ground Collisions In their May 2015 Bulletin the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) published two separate reports of night-time collisions between aircraft and obstacles on the apron / ramp last winter. Both highlight factors that can increase risk. Collision 1 The AAIB report that after refuelling at Newquay Airport on
UK AAIB Report on Two Ground Collisions Read Post »
Helideck, Helicopter and Other Specialist Training Facilities Safety training specialists Falck Nutec (now RelyOn Nutec) have installed an ex-Royal Navy AgustaWestland Lynx HAS3 at their Aberdeen training facility on their helideck training mock-up. This aids the training of Helideck Landing Officers (HLOs) and Helideck Assistants (HDAs) on their OPITIO approved training courses. This replaced a rather more
Helideck, Helicopter and Other Specialist Training Facilities Read Post »
De-Iced Drama : 737 in Scandinavia During the approach to the Finnish airport of Kittilä on 26 December 2012, Norwegian Air Shuttle‘s Boeing 737-800 LN-DYM came close to stalling as a result of a blocked elevator. The elevator system worked at only 1/250th of the expected effectiveness according to investigators. The Investigation The Accident Investigation Board
De-Iced Drama: 737 in Scandinavia Read Post »
Operator & FAA Shortcomings in Alaskan B1900 Accident UPDATE 10 April 2018: with details below of further NTSB recommendations after a 2016 C208B accident The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has reported on a Beechcraft 1900C accident on the North Slope of Alaska on 23 Nov 2013. The B1900C was being operated by Hageland Aviation Services (doing
Operator & FAA Shortcomings in Alaskan B1900 Accident Read Post »
Xsight’s innovative airport FODetect system captured a nose landing gear collapse on a Beechcraft Queen Air at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport on 27 July 2013.
Nose Gear Collapse Filmed By FOD Detection System (Beechcraft Queen Air 4X-DZY) Read Post »
UK Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group (OHSAG) Jan 2015 Minutes The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has just published the minutes of the latest, 27 Jan 2015, meeting of the Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group (OHSAG). The OHSAG was formed as a result of the ‘Civil Aviation Authority Safety Review of Offshore Public Transport Helicopter Operations in Support of
UK OHSAG Jan 2015 Minutes Read Post »
SNAPpy Action in Norway – The Southern Norway Airspace Project Norwegian Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) AVINOR has established the Southern Norway Airspace Project (SNAP), that went live in late 2014. SNAP was established: … to address present and future challenges regarding capacity, safety, environment and effectiveness. SNAP will provide a new airspace organisation, with associated working
SNAPpy Action in Norway – The Southern Norway Airspace Project Read Post »
An overweight helicopter, flown with a known defect, ditched during a poorly executed approach to a GOM drilling rig, then water taxying was attempted…
NTSB Report on Bizarre 2012 US S-76B Ditching Read Post »
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has issued the following press release: In 1944, delegates from 54 nations gathered in the Grand Ballroom of the Stevens Hotel in Chicago at the invitation of the United States of America. At this event, the participants concluded and signed the Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known
70 Years of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation Read Post »
James Reason’s 12 Principles of Error Management James Reason, Professor Emeritus, University of Manchester, set out 12 systemic human factors centric principles of error management in his book Managing Maintenance Error: A Practical Guide (co-written with Alan Hobbs and published in 2003). These principles are valid beyond aviation maintenance and are well worth re-visiting: Human error is both universal
James Reason’s 12 Principles of Error Management Read Post »
UK Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group (OHSAG) Oct 2014 Minutes The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has published the minutes of the latest, 28 Oct 2014, meeting of the Offshore Helicopter Safety Action Group (OHSAG). The OHSAG was formed as a result of the ‘Civil Aviation Authority Safety Review of Offshore Public Transport Helicopter Operations in Support of
UK OHSAG Oct 2014 Minutes Read Post »
Global 6000 Crosswind Landing Accident – UK AAIB Report (TAG Aviation, EC-LTF) The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) have recently issued a 15 page report on a accident involving Bombardier Global 6000 EC-LTF of TAG Aviation España during a night crosswind landing. During the landing at Prestwick Airport on 6 March 2014, the right wing touched the runway.
Global 6000 Crosswind Landing Accident – UK AAIB Report Read Post »
